Hi, big Ripple and XRP supporter here, hodler since may 2017, love this forum etc..
So anyway, today I was talking with my girlfirend who is currently staying in UK, about how this spring it should be possible to use Santander's app that uses Ripple's xCurrent, making it possible to send our native currency among others, seamlessly, fast and with very low fees.
http://www.businessinsider.com/santander-ripple-money-transfer-app-2018-3?IR=T
I've had some, although not a lot of experience with making international transfers and it was usually quite awful. It took 3 days+ and consumed significant amount of money for a fee.
Therefore, when I first read about what Ripple is doing, I thought that this is it.
I understood that the reason for ineffectiveness of today's international transfers are:
The need for the banks at each end of transaction, to have corresponding arrangements with each other, or else there is a chain consisting of multiple banks, which means multiple fees and longer settlement time.
The need for the banks to keep billions of dollars in pre-funded accounts in each country's currency, which as far as I understand only the biggest banks can afford (City, JP Morgan etc.),
and that those banks charge hefty fees for using their rails.
The need for existence of a central bank.
Outdated messaging system created many many years ago (SWIFT).
Ripple is addressing all of those issues and promises great performance at a low cost.
In my mind that was completely revolutionary and outstanding, enabling things that were not possible before. But then my aforementioned girlfriend said she is using Revolut and that she has already used it to make PLN->GBP transfers, which she claims settled in an order of seconds and that there was either no, or a negligible fee.
And it made me wonder. I understand that Ripple and its products, is so much more than what I described. I understand that there is the fact that it meets all regulations, that it aims mostly at servicing corridors that are ineffective but have great volume, or those with exotic currencies. I understand that it aspires to create internet of value and that it should enable to transfer anything that holds value, not only currencies - the potential is huge.
But how on earth in this world of supposedly terrible international transfers, with those troublesome pre-funded accounts that only biggest banks can afford to have, does Revolut manage to do what I thought will be only possible after introducing blockchain powered solution such as xCurrent/xRapid ?
And how is Ripple going to be better ?
I also want to say that i don't doubt Ripple, I just need understanding. I know that things I wrote might not be accurate or I might fail to grasp the concept of how money is moving around the world, but if so, please enlighten me.

I can't believe how detached from reality some people seem to be...
I bought most of my XRPs in may for 0.18$ and some more later for 0.22$. At one point this year I've seen potential returns of about 2000% and somehow saying that XRP won't go above 10$ (~ +5000%) makes me, in the author's view, a fudder or a person who doesn't believe in Ripple's success.
I am a huge believer in both Ripple and XRP, but at the same time I don't think that it will go much higher than 10$ and even if it does it would be partially due to speculation and you can't really rely on that.
I'm holding until around 10$, if that makes me a bear, than so be it!

One of the cofounders of this company wrote an article for Forbes recently. It shows the same kind of misunderstanding as the one linked in this thread. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ksamani/2017/12/20/the-bear-case-for-xrp-bitcoin-futures-edition/#d623c8f14e6e
This is my favorite part:

@Hodor, I've read your post quite thoroughly, and one thing that captured my attention, as it seems to me as being of great importance is that xRapid liquidity will be sourced at crypto exchanges. You also mentioned an interview in which that information has been given away, could you please attach a link to that interview ?

Who said anything about Bitcoin ? I was merely trying to state that 100$ XRP prediction is bonkers, and don't get me wrong, I am a big Ripple supporter and in possession of couple of thousands of XRPs. I just don't think that anything more than 10$ is realistic.